THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, FORTLAND, FEBRUARY 24, 90T.
31
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SfMEREDITH;NIGHO
. My rilgrlruage to the Wise Men of the East,
V by Moncure D. Conwsy. S3. Illustrated.
; Houghton. Mifflin A Co.. Boston, and the
J. K. Gill Co.. Portland.
In hla recent autobiography, Mr. Con
way may be described as a pilgrim and
truth-seeker. It was a notable book, be
cause It covered a wide area and told
of his acquaintance and interviews with
many of the most eminent thinkers of our
feneration. His vision has broadened
Ince the days when he began his
tVfethodest ministry.
Now Mr. Conway gives us Ills story
of another pilgrimage, a kind of spiritual
autobiography in which ho describes his
journey to this country, Hawaii, Ceylon
and particularly India, In search of a
truer wisdom and more mature religious
experience. He started on his Oriental
tour In the Summer of 1SS3, when he had
been for 20 years the leader of the South
Place ethical congregation In London. It
was an Ideal vacation trip, such an one as
comes to a scholar after a life-long dream.
It was in a fervent spirit that he traveled
towards I.ndla that cradle of all relig
ions. He hoped to find in that far-ofl
land those "wise men" who could pos
sibly throw new light on the problems
with which he had wrestled.
After talking with the different leaders
of religious thought in the East and de
voting special study to Buddhism and
Zoroastlranlsm. Mr. Conway comes to the
conclusion that the truest of all Ori
ental faiths Is Zoroastrlanism. which is
based on the principle of dualism the
eternal struggle between Ormuzd and
Ahriman. the Good Mind, and the Evil
Mind. In this connection Air. Conway
writes:
Ormuzd. the Shining One. Is not. In our
mod-jrn sense, a god t all. lie Is rather
a source of light trying to inspire men
and women to contend against the forces
of darkness, lie asks for no glorification,
claims no majesty, is lowly and In pain,
and tells Zoroaster that he is unabls to
achieve anything except through tho souls
of good and wise men and women. . . .
Tn India, I steadily realized not only that
the true religion was that of Zoroaster, but
that fundamentally tho only practicable re
ligion Is the struKgle ot Good against Evil.
That Is what everybody is necessarily doing.
Why, then, do I feel disappointed about
these masses of the ignorant in India? I
suppose that unconsciously I expected to see
the groat epics reflected In their religious
festivals instead of sacrltlcial superstitions.
But. .after all. were not these poor people
struggling against Evil disease, hunger,
death In the only way they could? . . .
And when I hesitate about this, and fear
mat When Evils are resisted as persons
Catans, Ahrlmans the resistance is inef
fectual, because unscientific, the overwhelm
ing sense of Fate overwhelms me. A popu
lation of 800.000.000 whoie most Imperative
religious duty is to multiply, must Inevi
tably act inorganically. It cannot haye the
free thought or free agency of an Indi
vidual. On being admitted to "Widyoaya College,
a Buddhist Institution near Colombo. Mr.
Conway heard a priest read a plea for
free thought written by Buddha about 230
B. C, and the story paoceeds.
Invited to question. I aked the priest
about covetousness, and why It occupied
such a cardinal place among the sine, l
observed that all commerce Is developed
from man's desire for what belongs to his
neighbor. I asked whether it might not be
i possible that originally the covetous eye
meant the evil eye; It being still believed
la some parts of England that It one strong
ly desires a thing belonging to another,
that thing may ba so rendered useless to
its ewner or even destroyed. The priests
knew of no such superstition, and Suman
gala said that covetousness was not
associated with the things a man desired to
exchange, and that It was regarded by
Buddhism as especially evil because of its
lasting effects.
There are short sins and long sins. Anger
Is a great aln. but does not last long.
Covetousness is a small sin, but endures
long nd grows. Even If a man loves hts
own things strongly. It brings unhapplness:
still more If he strongly desires what be
longs to others. He cannot ascend In the
path of Nirvana the extinction of desire.
There are Ave sins especially destructive
ef what bears man to Nirvana, and these w
reckon worst, though In Immediate effects
they may appear least." "But suppose," I
asked, "a man strongly desires to go to
heaveni Is th covetousness?" Yes,"
said the priest, resting his chin upon tha
table and levelling his eyes like arrows at
the head of the Christian faith; "Yes, It Is
covetousne&s to desire paradise strongly.
One who goes there with such desires Is as
a fly stuck fast in honey. Paradise is not
eternal. One who goes there must die and
be born agatn elsewhere. Only the desire for
Nirvana escapes from the mesh that en
tangles all other desires, because It Is not
desire for any object at all." I asked: "Have
those who are in Nirvana any conscious
ness?" I was thsn Informed that there is no
Sinhalese word for consciousness. Suman
tala said: "To reach Nirvana la to be no
more." I pointed to a atone step and said:
"One is there only as that stone is here?"
"Not so much," answered the priest, "Cor
the stone Is actually here, bat In Nirvana
there Is no existence at all."
Whether It be the fault of missionaries
or travelers, Sunday school children have
been taught of the horror of the bloodv
car of the Juggernaut, coupled with Tn- r
dlan idol-worship. Mr. Conway Insists
that East Indians do not worship Idols
tn themselves, and that be found learned
talking of ike Soul witk lis elf
men In India, both native and English
puzzled by the evil reputation of Jugger
naut and his famous car.
"Juggernaut is a form of Vishnu, the
Lord of Life, to whom all destruction is
abhorrent," writes our author. "It Is
surmised that the obstinate and prover
bial Action about the car of Juggernaut
must have originated in some accident
witnessed by a missionary, who supposed
It to be a regular part of the ceremo
nies."
Those theologians who believe in a
literal hereafter of fire and brimstone
will be struck by the interpretation of
a future life given by a learned Budd
hist to Mr. Conway: "No one is ever
punished by other than himself. Ail
the evil that a man does during lll,
if not overbalanced by the good he has
done, forms at his death a retributive
self of that man an Image of himself,
unconscious as a machine, rorturea
him according to his demerits."
Mr. Conway sa-s that In visiting
New York he looked on Robert Q.
Ingersoll as "being the most striking
figure in religious America." The book
closes with a beautifully worded attri
bute to woman, rivaling In purity of
thought Solomon's song;. A portrait
of Mr. Conway faces the titlepage. The
pictured face speaks of a man whose
learning; i3 as deep as his sympathies,
but there are marks of caru over the
massive brow, reminding us that in
much learning there Is much sorrow.
The book is one of strange experiences,
and forms an important contribution
to the literature of our day.
The Practice ef Diplomacy, by John W.
Foster. ?3. Houghton, Mifflin & Co.,
Boston, and the J. K. Gill Co., Portland.
Mr. Foster Is well known as a former
Secretary of State: United States minister
In Mexico. Russia and b'naln; special
plenipotentiary to Great Britain, Ger
many. San Domingo, Japan and China;
and a member of the Anglo-American
Joint High Commission.
The book now under review Is not a
manual of diplomatic procedure but Is
a companion volume to "A Century of
American Diplomacy." by tha same
author. Its principal purpose is to set
forth the part taken by American diplo
matists in the elevation and purification
of diplomacy, and secondarily to give
In popular form the rules and procedure
of diplomatic Intercourse. The title
might suggest that the book Is one for
a lawyer, but will suit a student as well.
The original sources of Information are
laid bare in the process of Investigation,
for Mr. Foster" is a leading authority on
the subject yet the book cannot be called
dry, for It is seasoned here and there
with Illustrated anecdote.
Such topics are discusser as:- Rank of
diplomatic representatives; receptions of
envoys; court-dress, decorations and
presents; termination of missions; the
consular service; negotiation and framing
of treaties, etc.
In discussing the question of appoint
ments to higher posts, Mr. Foster writes:
It will probably he many years before i
Congress wljl adopt the European system In
full. But it Is not too much to hop that
provision shall be made by law whereby ad
mission to the poet of secretaries shall be
regulated by competitive examinations, that
branch of the service made permanent, and
that It shall be largely drawn upon to fill
the place of ministers.
Mr. Foster writes very frankly regard
ing the development of the practice of
diplomacy as Illustrated In the foreign
relations of this country, and says:
When our country declared Its Inde
pendence and sought Intercourse with for
eign nations, the standard of diplomacy
was very low. Even In time of peace, it
did not hesitate to make use of bribery,
espionage, and deliberate deceit.
The Golden Book, by Henry DrnmmoDd.
Selected fey Alexander Currle "White. T5
cents. Jennings A Graham, Cincinnati,
Ohio. .
These sayings of a great religious
teacher-and practical Christian are print
ed by permission of the owner of the
copyright of Professor Henry Drum
mond's works. The gospel of hope and
eternal Bunshlne la effeetlvetly preached,
and every one of the 103 pages preaches
lessons applicable to every-day life, and
broad enough to rise higher than creed.
The wisdom is of the nugget quality. For
Instance:
Find out what a man's heaven Is nd
you pass by an easy discovery as to what
hts religion is.
A religion of effortless adoration may be
a religion for an angel, but never for a
man.
you wish to ba a religious man. Well, be
one. There Is your city. Begin. As Christ
did. First he looked at the city. Then
he wept over It. Then be died for it.
There Is no higher Ufa than helping
others.
God always works with agents. 1
Baltimore Pun Almaoao for 1807. A. A: A.
Abel Co.. Baltimore, Md.
For the S2d time, the publishers of the
esteemed Baltimore Sun newspaper have
Issued their almanac telling about mat
ters not only of special Interest to Bal
Meredith
Nicholson
timore City and Maryland, but to the
Nation at large. The completed whole
makes a valuable reference presentation
for everybody. The book, which la not
on sale, and is complimentary, is well
printed and arranged.
The American Idea, by Lydla Klngsmlll
Commander. A. S. Barnes & Co., New
Tork City.
Possibly no other book on race suicide
has discussed the question so openly and
without fear or favor as this one. It Ja
strikingly original and daring in reaching
conclusions. The author admits that we
have race suicide, and that the condition
may cause America to go down to decay
like Greece and Home. But in the light
of the causes the question is asked. "VY'liv
not, unless the cancer is removed rrom
the sore?
Our author finds that the causes for
race suicide are: Economic; changed
status of women; desire for a high stand
ard of living; increased sense of responsi
bility In parents and their greater ambi
tion for their children; necessity for more
expensive training to fit children to take
part In the mental and industrial life of
the Nation; and the uncertainty in regard
to the future of the child.
The point is made that when we settle
problems affecting the labor question,
trusts and the woman worker, much will
be done to abolish a falling birth-rate. The
author ultimately finds that race suicide
Strange Case of
Continued From Pago Fifty
for the defense?" Counsel, no doubt,
spoke according to hl3 instructions;
"but what are we to think of those from
whom such instructions issued, since
they had the clearest proof that there
was no connection between Green and
Edalji! Such Incidents shake one's con
fidence in British Justice to the very
foundations, for It is clear that the
Jury, already prejudiced by the nature
of the crimes, were hoodwinked into
giving their conviction.
Friends of Edalji Organize. .
A few words as to the sequel. The
friends of the prisoner, organized and
headed by Mr. R. D. Yelverton (late Chief
Justice of the Bahamas), to whose long,
ceaseless and unselfish exertions Edalji
will owe so much when the hour of tri
umph conies, drew up a memorial to the
Home Secretary, setting forth some of
the facts as here recorded. This petition
for reconsideration was signed by 10.000
people, including hundreds of lawyers
and many K. C.'s, and' was reinforced by
the strongest letters testifying to Edalji's
character from men who must have
known him intimately. Including Mr.
Denning, his schoolmaster; Mr. I.udlow,
the solicitor with whom he was for five
years articled: the Honorary Secretary
and Reader of the Birmingham Law So
ciety, and many others. Now, every man
or the world will admit that tho school
master's testimony Is of very great Im
portance, for any traits of cruelty will
show themselves most clearly at that
asre. This Is what Mr. Denning savs:
"During the five years your son George
was here I have never known him to
commit any acts of cruelty or unklnd
ness. I have always found him a thor
oughly upright and well-principled youth.
In whom I could place every confidence."
Grler, his schoolmate, writes: "He was
several years older than myself, but al
ways treated me with great kindness. I
never knew him cruel to any animal, and
from what I knew of him then for I
came to know him well I should say he
was quite Incapable of any act of
cruelty." How foolish the loose gossip
and surmise of Stafford seem in the face
of page after page of testimonials such
as these!
The memorial had no effect, ind some
Inquiry should certainly be made as to
how Its fate was determined. It would
be Indeed a vicious circle If a police pros
ecution, when doubted. Is referred back
again to the police for report. I cannot
imagine anything more absurd and unjust
in an Oriental despotism than this. And
yet any superficial Independent investiga
tion, or even a careful perusal of the
memorial, must have convinced any rea
sonable human being. The friends of
Edalji. headed by Mr. Yelverton, natural
ly demanded to see the dossier at the
Home Office, but. as In the Beck ease,
the seekers after Justice were denied ac
cess to the very documents which they
needed In order to prove their case and
confute their opponents.
I have said it was as in the Beck case.
I might well have gona to a more classic
example, for in all its details this seems
to me to form a kind of squalid Dreyfus
case. Tha parellel Is extraordinarily
close. Tou have a Parsee, Instead of a
Jew, with a young and promising career
blighted. In each case the degradation
from a profession and the campaign for
redress and restoration, in each case
questions of forgery and handwriting
arise, with Esterhazy in the one and the
anonymous writer In the other. Finally,
I regret to say, that In the one case you
have a clique of French officials going
from excess to excess In order to cover
an Initial mistake, and that In the other
you have the Staffordshire police acting
in the way I have described.
And that brings me to what Is the most
painful rrt of my statement, and the
one which I would be most glad to shirk
were It possible for me to do so. No ac
count of the case is complete which does
is a social question and that upon society
rests the burden of finding its solution.
One suggestive criticism by Rev. John
Scudder is given:
Let the rich have large families. The-v
Ourht to have them, for they have tha
means to provide for them. President Roose
velt can well afford to advocate a multitu
dinous household, for he yets a salary of
30.000 a year, besides the Income from an
Independent fortune. I wonder how he
would enjoy his own advice. If ne ha4 a
dozen children and was setting $2 a dayT
Circumstances mightily alter cases.
The Taw of Suggestion, by Rev. Stanley
fevre Krobs. 75 cents. Tha Svlenco Press.
Chicago.
Along1 psychological lines, this ltttie book
of 157 pages teaches self-inspection to self
control through suggestion, mesmerism
and hypnotism. Many curious experiences
are related.
J. M. Q.
IX LIBRARY AND WORKSHOP
That our war with Spain still appeals to
the Imagination, at least of the young. Is
shown by the fact that It has been found
necessary to Issue a new edition of Kirk
Munroe a "Forward, March!" the tale of a
boy who enlisted as a Rough-Rider and had
many stirring adventures.
Vlctorlen Gerdou's name figures in the list
of the New Tear's honorary "nominations"
by the French Minister of Public Inatruc
tion and Fine Arte. The veteran dramatist
is elevated to the dignity of grand officer,
a distinction bestowed for the first time
upon a dramatlo author. M. Sardou, who In
75 years ot age. was elected to the French
Academy In. 1877.
'Aunt Jane of Kentucky" Is the title of a
new story of rural Kentucky llfo with home,
spun philosophy announced for Spring publi
cation. The author, Eliza Calvert Hall, la
said to have done for the Blue Grass coun
try what Carah Orme Jewett, Alice Brown
and Mary E. Wllklns have done for similar
phases of New England life.
Among the most widely known and most
popular of the books of Henry James la that
In which he describes a little tour In
Franee, and this adds great Interest to the
fact that he recently came to the United
States hla first visit to this country for
nearly a quarter of a century expressly
to make a little tour In America, from New
Kngland to Florida, and to write about It.
The book that be haa written and which
will be Issued soon is entitled "The Ameri
can icene." It Is written with felicity of
phrase and beauty of language; with-broad
philosophy and constant distinction of style.
i
A story la told In regard to H. O. -Wells,
whose pungent and advanced criticisms of
present-day conditions, in his most recent
book, "The Future In America," and else
where, have mistakenly caused some peo
ple to consider him an extreme Socialist.
The story Is that on his late vlrlt to the
United States he was one ot the guesta at
a Boston club one evening and found that
he was to sign the register Immediately be
neath the signature of Jack London, who, It
la said, had signed with a flourish, "Yours
for the Revolution." 0
"Whereupon Mr. Wells wrote. In his fine,
small handwriting, "There ain't a-going to
be no revolution," and carefully signed his
name to the sentiment.
William H. Crook, the bodyguard of Presl.
dent' Lincoln, whose article In regard to
Ijlncoln in the December number of Har
per's Magazine caused widespread Interest,
has Just received a letter from ex-President
Cleveland telling him of the deep value of
his reminiscences, and commenting on his
unusual qualifications in personal knowledge
of the subject. A number of additional ar
ticles telling more of Mr. Crook's remi
niscences are to appear tn Harper's Maga
zine, and they will be of Intense Interest,
ss he kept a dally record of the details of
President Lincoln's daily life, and is thus
enabled to throw new light on important
historical occurrences, as well as upon the
personality of the President himself.
EW BOOKS RECEIVED.
The Book of Camping and Woodcraft, by
Horace Kephart. Illustrated. (Outing Pub
lishing Co.)
The Strenuous Gospel, by Thomas G. Sel
by. $1.25. (Jennings-Graham.)'
George Edalji
not deal with the attitude taken up by
Captain Anson, Chief Constable of Staf
fordshire, against this unhappy man. It
must, I suppose, have taken Its root In
those far-off days from 1S92 to 1893, when
Edalji was little more than a boy, and
when Sergeant Upton, for reasons which
make a tale by themselves, sent reports
against him to his superior at Stafford.
It wag at that early date that Captain
Anson delivered those two memorable
dicta: "Tou may tell your son at once
that I will not believe any profession of
innocence," and "I will endeavor to get
the offender a dose of penal servitude."
Now, I have no doubt Captain Anson
was quite honest In his dislike and un
conscious of his own prejudice. It would
be folly to think otherwise. But men In
his position have no right to yield to such
feelings. They are too powerful, others
are too weak, and the consequences are
too terrible. As I trace the course of
events this dislike of their chief's filtered
down until It came to imbue the whole
force, and when they had George Edalji
they did not give him the most elemen
tary Justice, as is shown by the fact that
they did not prosecute Green at a time
when his prosecution would have endan
gered the case against Edalji.
I do not know what subsequent reports
prevented Justice from being done at the
Home Office (there lies the wickedness
of the concealed dossier) but this I do
know, that, instead of leaving the fallen
man alone, every possible effort was
made after the conviction to blacken hla
character, and that of his father, so as
to frighten off any one who might be In
clined to investigate his case. When Mr.
Yelverton first took it up, he had a letter
over Captain Anson's own signature, say
ing, under date November 8, 1903: "It is
right to tell you that you will find It a
simple waste of time to attempt to prove
that Edalji could not, owing to hl3 posi
tion and alleged good character, have
been guilty of writing offensive and
abominable letters. His father is as well
aware as I am of his proclivities in the
direction of anonymous writing, and sev
eral other people have personal knowl
edge on the same subject."
Now, both Edalji and his father declare
on oath that the former never wrote an
anonymous letter in his life, and on beings
applied to by Mr. Yelverton for the
names of the "several other people" no
answer was received. Consider that this
letter was written Immediately after the
conviction, and that It was intended to
nip In the bud the movement In the
direction of mercy. It is certainly a little
like kicking a man when he is down.
Since I took up the case I have myself
had a considerable correspondence with
Captain Anson. I find myself placed in a
difficult position as regards these letters,
for while the first was marked "Confi
dential," the others have no reserve. One
naturally supposes that when a publlo
official writes upon a public matter to a
perfect stranger the contents are for the
public. No doubt one might also add,
that when an English gentleman makes
most damaging assertions about other
people, he Is prepared to confront these
people and to make good his words. Yet
the letters are so courteous to me person
ally that it makes It exceedingly difficult
for me to use them for the purpose of
illustrating my thesis viz., the strong
opinion which Captain Anson had formed
against the Edalji family. One curious
example of this is that during 15 years
Lthat tha vicarage has been a center of
oeDate, tne cniet constapie nas never once
visited the spot or taken counsel person
ally with the Inmates.
Guilty or Not Guilty?
For three years George Edalji endured
the privations of Lewes and of Portland.
At the end of that time the indefatigable
Mr. Yelverton woke the case up again,
and Truth had an excellent series of
articles demonstrating the impossibility
of the man's guilt. Then the case took a
new turn, as irregular and illogical as
my Miwmmmmm
"The really difficult thing Is tn
be an eldest daughter without the
friction that it engenders between
the higher and the lower authori
ties. "Xo matter how much tb dangh
ter gives up It is in the bouse of
smother.
"She may order all the meals, bnt
she mustn't Inadvisedly ask people
to eat them.
"She may make the beds, but she
mustn't ask people to stay all night
In them unless It Is agreeable to
the heads of the household.
"She may not change the sen ice of
the meals to a newer fashion except
gradually without startling any
one.
"One Is often a belter mother t
grown children by rrlinquishing as
much as one reasonably can.
"It is not only the rush to earn
money, but the Impossibility of ex
pressing the renl Individuality at
home that sends so many girls early
from It. ,
"It might be well, Indeed, if
mothers would take tally of what
they really want their daughters to
stay at home for." j
(Copyright. 1917, by Mary Stewnrt Cutting.)
BY MARY STEWART CUTTING.
GIRL whom I knew was teach
ing school far from her home
when the word reached her of
the approaching marriage of her elder
sister, the prop of the family, to whom
she came next in age. There were
several younger girls and boys. "Will
you g:o home now and take your sis
ters place with your mother?" some
one asked her.
The kindergarten teacher shook her
head. There was a note of terror In
her voice as she said:
"Oh, don't speak of It' I love them
all at home. I love them to death,
but I couldn't go back now and, take
Susie's place. I couldn't be eldest
daughter. It Isn't in me. I wouldn't
bo a bit of good. Edith will liavo to
be eldest daughter, for I can't be."
Perhaps it was Just as well that she
was honest with herself; that she
faced fairly what she was capable ot
and what she wasn't. The value of It
was shown when In a later year Kdltli
married, and there was then no ques
tion of choice or self-satisfaction, but
tho plain call, not only of duty, hut ot
affection. Alice couldn't have left her
mother alone and needing her help
for anything in the world: if she
couldn't be the most perfect kind of
an eldest daughter, she might at any
rate do as well as she could.
The Eldest Daughter.
Her decision In the first place was
based on the fact that the position of
a helpful daugnter of the household
was to her a profession in Itself, re
quiring certain high faculties for suc
cess In It. It wasn't that she belittled
the position. She felt herself unfit for
It. To undertake it was to pledge
herself to the fulfilment of many du
ties. Perhaps nobody but an eldest
daughter and the mother whose stay
she is quite know what the position
means. In the home that Mice came
those which had preceded It. At the end
of his third year, out of seven, the young
man. though in good health, was suddenly
released without pardon. Evidently the
authorities were shaken, and compro
mised with their conscience in this fash
ion. But this cannot be final. The man
is guilty, or he is not. If he is, he do-
serves every day of his seven years. If
he is not, then we must have apology,
pardon and restitution. There can ob
viously be no middle ground between
these extremes.
Reform That Are Xeeded.
And what else is needed besides this
tardy Justice to George Edalji? I should
say that peveral points suggest them
selves for the consideration of any small
committee. , One is the reorganization of
the Staffordshire constabulary from end
to end; a second Is an Inquiry Into any
Irregularity of procedure at quarter ses
sions: the third and most Important Is a,
stringent Inquiry as to who Is the respon
sible man at the Home Office, and what
is the punishment for his delinquency,
when. In this case, as In that of Beck,
justice has to wait for years upon the
threshold, and none will raise the latch.
Until each and all of these questions is
settled a dark stain will remain upon
the administrative annals of this country.
I have every sympathy for those who
deprecate public agitations of this kind
on the ground that they weaken the pow
er of the forces which make for law and
order, by shaking the confidence of the
public. No doubt they do so. But every
effort has been made in this case to avoid
this deplorable necessity. Repeated ap
plications for justice under both admin
istrations have met with the usual offi
cial commonplaces, or have been referred
back to those w-ho are obviously inter
ested parties.
Amid the complexity of life and the
limitations of Intelligence, any man may
do an Injustice, but how is It possible to
go on again and again reiterating the
THE EAEAPlOUnT GALL
THE blstidT IMUlam-fcJi&a) WrTK,UiT
.MfOSffiOrf IK THE
from the eldest sister had been the
unofficial mother, as well as an official
daughter. It was she who saw that
tho younger children wore dressed for
school in the morning- and undressed
at night: it was she who heard their
lessons for the next day and settled
their differences and mended kites and
helped make dresses for her younper
sisters to go to parties; It was she
who consulted deeply over the boys'
welfare with her mother; It was she
who "spoke to" the boys secretly; she
to whom they came in any scrape. It
was she who took the cook's place
when the cook left, who saw to the
canning and preserving, who worked
over the economics and tried to make
the burdened,' delicate mother feel that
things were froinjsr well when they were
going 111; she who always could take
a walk with father and play for him
In the evening- when he was tired, no
matter how tired she was. No, It was
no wonder that the household was
stricken when Susie married, and that
Alice was awed at taking the place.
And, though all eldest daughters may
not be so perfect as this one. all those
who accept tho position have certain
characteristics of It there Is a free'
masonry between them. You will hear
a woman in later years say to another,
"Were you an eldest daughter?" "I
was, too," and a look passes between
them a look of comprehension. A
young girl said the other day to the
older sister who came a very long
distance to her wedding. "1 knew you
had to come, for I couldn't have irot
married if you hadn't. I don't know
1 quite what you are to me you're not
mother, but ever since I was a little,
little girl there's always been you to
go to, and I just couldn't have got
married without you."
.Friction Is to Be Avoided.
It was so dear a tribute that it
might well serve as an inspiration to
the daughters who are struggling with
more or less success along the way,
for in this position of mother's helper
there are the Inevitable difficulties for
both mother and daughter. It Is a
worn truth that tho things that look
simplest are the hardest to do well.
And the most difficult thing about this
kind of daughter Isn't In the work with
the children, or the housekeepers, or
taking down the parlor curtains, or
in the worry about the boys, or trying
to make the accounts come Rtraight.
The really difficult thing is to do all
this without the friction that is engen
dered between the higher and the
lower authority.
The mother, no matter how unselfish,
how sacrificial her life may have been,
gave up for her own household the
life was hers to shape more or'less as
she chose. But no matter how much
the daughter gives up it is In the house
of another; It doesn't belong to her.
She may order all the meals, but she
mustn't Inadvisedly ask people to eat
them. She may make the beds, but
she mustn't ask guests to stay all
night In them unless It Is agreeable to
the heads of the household. -She may
not change the service of the meals
to a newer fashion except gradually
and without startling any one. She
may take down those heavy red cur
tains, but she cannot substitute others
of a more artistic color. "Father"
bought the red ones 30 years ago.
No matter how she desires to establish
the whole worklnp order of the household
same one? If the continuation of the out
rages, the continuation of the anonymous
letters, the discredit cast upon Gurrtn
as an expert, the confession of a culprit
that he had done a similar outrage, and
finally the exposition of Edalji's blind
ness, do not present new facts to -modify
a Jury's conclusion, what possible new
fact would do so? But the door is shut
li our faces. Now we turn to the last
tribunal of all, a tribunal which never
errs when the facts are fairly laid before
them, and we ask the. public of Great
Britain whether this thing Is to go on.
ARTHUR CON AN DOYLE.
Undershaw. Hlndhead. January. 10O7.
Latest Facts Bearing
on Adelji Case
The agitation undertaken by Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle has brought out a statement
from Henry Labouchere detailing his part,
and that of Truth, in the freeing of Mr.
Edalji for it seems that tho releasing ot
the prisoner at the end of the third year
of his sentence was due to representa
tions made by Labouchere. The latter's
attention was first directed to the case
by a gentleman who had himself begun
an Investigation of It with a prejudice
against the prisoner, his Idea being to
show that the police had conducted them
selves in a manner free from all blame.
The gentleman went to Great Wyrley, col
lected his information at first hand, and
arrived at the conclusion that the prison
er had been greatly wronged. He sent
the result of his investigation to Truth,
begging that the case might be taken up
by it. The editor was reluctant, but In
quiries satisfied him that gross Injustice
had really been done. Many facts were
then (1906) published in Mr. Labouchere's
paper, and an application was made by
the editor to the Home Secretary for per
mission to inspect the anonymous letters
put lu by the prosecution at the trial. The
HOUSEHOLD
on a basis which she clearly seep ti he
better for everyone she cannot do It. She
would never have another baked custard
como on tho table again if she had her
will they have had the same deserts tn
the family ever since she can remember.
When she makes a jelly with crumpled
maccoroons and pineapple In it., fatr.er
says. "What is this, daughter?" and
pushes it from him after tha first mouth
ful. Of course she knows tho Jellies didn't
harden properly, tho wearhcr was too
warm that Is just tt. the wc&ther is al
ways apt to be relatively too warm when
she makes experiments.
Nobody wunts to suffer by her Inexperi
ence the famliy is contented with things
as they always had them. This Is not her
house her position is robbed of the in
terest of individual experiments and fal
ure . as well a3 success because she is,
Bhould be so.
It Is the Fnrents' House.
It easily la the parf-ents house, and the
expression of their life in it. that is their
right it is what makes it their home n,l
rot another's. It really gives a surprising
pain to a mother to find a custom she haa
always loved, that is associated with some
after all, only the authority of a subordi
nate: the real authority Is over hers.
But the fact that Is often lost sight of
In that it is not a matter for carping or
for Injury, but tha. it Is right that it
and Its entire forsei fulness the next day
secret joy. Jabbed with sarcasm or con
tempt as with a hat pin. 1'ntil she dis
covers to tho contrary she always takes it
for granted that her sentiment Is shared
by her child.
And the housekeeping of tne young, with
Its wide lapses of Intentions, Its superior
Inexperience, its economies that are so
expensive, its devotion to detail one day
of the fact that there Is any housekeep
ing to do at all all this Is apt to ba
trying to the mother, who Is supposed to
act as if 3ho were fairly acilrfiitf ully as
sisted, 8nd whose longing desire to take
back her authority is combatted as by a
ruthless hlfrhor intelligence. Who knows
what Is better for her than she does? Yet
one Is often a better mother to grown
children not by experience as to one's
rights, but by relinquishing as much as
one reasonably can.
It is not only tha rush to earn money
but the impossibility -.it expressing the
real Individuality at home that sends so
many girls away from It.
Daughters Who Go Away.
Not that going away from home makes'
a daughter less a daughter. The duties of
the absent are as real as those of the one
who never leaves It. Sometimes she Is
more truly a daughter than she who
stays, for ho presence tn the home
amounts to anything If that person Isn't
In sympathy with It. If she Is discontent
ed or Injured, or feels misunderstood, her
staying there makes It less a home for
everybody else, although she may feel
theoretically that that duty binds her to
her place.
It's the discontented people who re
only half sure of what they arc dis
contented with that seem to get and give
the least good the helf-hcarted ones
who are not satisfied at home and do
not want to leave It. They are amen
the most disabling people, because they
never put their heart in anything they
do: they wear themselves out and those
around them In a vain striving that
doesn't get anywhere. And the other
most disabling people are perhaps those
older ones who passively and immovably
hold to a position for which there Is no
longer any reason and who cannot sympa
thize enough to see why anyone should
feel differently from themselves.
Some of us. in the youth of a past day.
wre beset with little books that urged an
apparently Impossible quantity of self-
examination as an orderly and helpful
adjunct to daily living. Some of these
little books haa spaces In the text where
you were supposed to stop and meditate
at length.
I do not know whether any girl f or
practiced these exercises with any but
tiie most spasmodic Ineffectiveness, or
that It would make her anything but
morbidly self-conscious If she did.
Let's Take Tally of Ourselves.
But It does seem to me that the central
thought was one of value that if we
mothem and daughters were to stop one
In a while and for a few minutes tak
tally of ourselves find out what we rcaily
and ultimately want out of life for our
selves and for those about us. how we are
going to work to get It and what ad
vantage or disadvantage we gain or e
lose will be to those we love and who
love us it seems to me that it once in
a while we forced ourselves to look thefo
things squarely in tHe face there might
be some beneiit from It.
It might be well Indeed If mothers
would take tally of what they really want
thoir daughters to stay at home for,
whether it Is for the children's good .r
their own pleasure, and what the younger
lives are to get by It, just as it mlftht he
well If girls would take into considera
tion what they really want in leavin
home and see If they cannot get thac
thing without leaving.
But no matter how far away she goes,
the eldest daughter will always be ready
to go back to her place wlien she hears)
the call of the paramount duty.
application was refused, but afterward
Mr. Akers-Douglas explained privately
that he could not. as Home Secretary, of
ficially recognize the locus standi on the
part of a Journalist, adding that if Mr.
Labouchere, M. P., chose to lay a state,
ment before him it would receive consid
eration at all eventa so far as It related
to new matter which had come to light. .
Mr. Labouohere thereupon prepared si
statement in his capacity of a member of
Parliament, but upon It Mr. Akers-Douglas
declared that the Home Office wa.
unable to alter Its decision upon the Jus
tice of the prisoner's conviction. He ad
mitted himself Impressed, however, with
the argument that a.s the man Karrington
has only 'been sentenced to three years'
penal servitude, a seven-year sentence im
posed upon Mr. Edalji for an alleged of
fense of precisely the same character
was unduly severe. He had therefore de
cided to order Edalji's release at the end
of three years the term for which Far
rlngton was sentenced.
Mr. Labouchere regrets, therefore, that
Sir Conan Doyle had fallen into the error
though the matter is a side Issue-;?;
charging the Home Office wl;h "Irresrti
lar and Illogical" action as a compro
mise with its conscience.
On the change of Government Mr. La
bouchere tried again to get the facts be
fore Mr. Gladstone (Mr. Herbert Glad
stone), now Home Secretary, but was re
fused an Interview.
Sir Conan Doyle has now secured a
promise of a personal interview with Mr.
Gladstone on the case. It appears that
the agitation following tho efforts of Sir
Conan has warned the Home Office that
the temper of the English people over the
injustice done Mr. Edalji is such that the
Government must at last heed it.
air Conan is already in communication
with Mr. Gladstone, before whom a com
plete statement of the case has been laid
It Is expected that If a definite step Is not
taken by the Home Office, the friends of
Edalji will at once press for a direct answer.